Easy From Now On

Many songs have been written about leaving a no-good man behind, but few plumb the depths of despair that follow. In this song, Harris lays her heartache down with a clear-eyed understanding of the work that lies ahead. She understands that it will take time (a "month of Sundays") and a change of venue to get over this, and she also knows she is vulnerable, with an empty heart that's easy to fill.

The third verse takes us into rare territory: a one-night-stand where she feels neither shame or triumph - it's just another step on her path to healing, which she explains on her way out:

When the mornin' comes and it's time for me to leaveDon't worry 'bout me, I got a wild card up my sleeve

Carlene Carter and Susanna Clark wrote this song. Carter is the daughter of country music stalwarts June Carter and Carl Smith; Clark (who died in 2012) was the wife of Guy Clark. They each began writing songs in the '70s - Clark composed the 1975 #12 country hit for Dottsy, "I'll Be Your San Antone Rose," and Carter was just getting started on her songwriting journey at the urging of her mother.

In our interview with Carlene Carter, she explained: "Susanna and I were great pals and she called me up one day and she said, 'I have a great line for a song: 'It's a quarter moon in a ten cent town.'' I said, 'Come over.' By the time she got there, I had already sorted out the whole music, the melody and everything, and had started on the first verse. Then the second verse was, 'It's a quarter moon in a ten cent town.' From that we made a song."

The line, "quarter moon in a ten cent town" was used as the album title. The song's co-writer Susanna Clark did the cover art, showing a crescent moon over a stretch of highway with a light on the horizon.

After co-writing this song, Carlene Carter began recording as a solo artist, gradually building a following throughout the '80s. She recorded her own version of "Easy From Now On" for her 1990 album I Fell in Love, which was her breakthrough, making #19 on the Country chart.

Miranda Lambert brought this song to a new generation when she included it on her 2007 album Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. The song fit well on the album alongside other tracks that deal with getting over a breakup.